Survivors’ Anthem Series #13: “This Is Me” by Keala Settle & The Greatest Showman Cast

Shannon Brown
Feb 18
3 min read

Updated: Feb 23

The Moment a Song Felt Like It Was Singing Back to Me

Some songs comfort you.

Some songs help you release emotions you didn’t know how to express.

And then there are songs that feel like they recognize you, like they look you in the eyes and say:

I see you.

You don’t have to hide anymore.

This is Survivors’ Anthem # 13:

“This Is Me” - Keala Settle & the cast of The Greatest Showman

I still remember the first time I heard it.

Sitting in the Theater

I was sitting in the theater watching The Greatest Showman for the first time, not expecting what was about to happen.

And then she started singing.

The moment Keala Settle’s voice came in, something in me reacted before my brain even had time to process it. A rush of emotion washed over me, goosebumps up my arms, my chest tightening, tears filling my eyes.

I wasn’t just hearing a song.

I was feeling it.

It felt like the lyrics were speaking directly to me, to every part of me that had learned to shrink, to stay quiet, to be careful, to make myself smaller just to get through life.

For the length of that song, I wasn’t just watching a movie.

I was seen.

Why This Song Hits Survivors So Deeply

So much of trauma teaches you to hide.

Hide your feelings.

Hide your reactions.

Hide your truth.

Hide your voice.

You learn to adjust yourself to survive your environment.

But healing changes that.

And “This Is Me” lives in that turning point, the moment when survival becomes self-acceptance.

Not: I’m okay despite what happened.

But:

This is who I am, and I don’t have to apologize for existing.

That message is powerful because survivors often spend years separating who they really are from who they had to be to stay safe.

This song bridges that gap.

Finding My Voice Again

As I’ve gotten older and worked through my healing, something important happened:

I regained my voice.

And this song became one of my karaoke favorites, not quietly, not cautiously, but confidently.

Because singing it feels different than other songs.

It feels like reclaiming space.

Every time I belt it out, it’s not just performing.

It’s declaring.

It’s standing in a room and letting myself exist without shrinking.

It’s choosing authenticity.

From Survival to Identity

Earlier in healing, you just want peace.

Later, you want freedom.

“This Is Me” is a freedom anthem.

It’s not about pretending the past didn’t happen.

It’s about refusing to let it define your worth.

It reminds me that I am not only the person who survived.

I am the person who gets to live, express, create, speak, and be fully myself now.

And that is one of the most powerful stages of healing.

A Thank You

Keala Settle, thank you.

Thank you for performing this song with so much truth that it reaches straight into the heart of anyone who has ever felt different, silenced, or unseen. Your voice doesn’t just sing confidence, it gives people permission to have it.

And thank you to Hugh Jackman and the creators of The Greatest Showman for bringing this monumental movie into the world for those who have ever felt like outcasts. For reminding people that different is not something to hide… it’s something to stand in.

What’s Next in the Survivors’ Anthem Series

Each Survivors’ Anthem post will include:

a featured song

why it mattered to me

what it helped me survive or process

and a reel where I sing a short part of it while honoring the artist behind it

If this song speaks to you too, I hope you let yourself feel what it brings up.

Because sometimes healing isn’t quiet.

Sometimes healing sounds like:

This is me.